Twas The Nightmare Before Christmas
by Jase Andrews
Summary: When Jack Skellington invades the Mansion, will Crystal be able to put a stop to his antics and free the ghosts again? Based on The Nightmare Before Christmas and the Disneyland attraction Haunted Mansion Holiday. Sequel to A Rhock and a Haunted Place.
1. The Weather Outside Is Frightful

This story is based on the "Haunted Mansion Holiday" attraction at the Disneyland park, which in turn is based on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and the Tim Burton movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

_

* * *

_

_T'was a long time ago, longer now than it seems_

_In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams._

_For the story that you are about to be told_

_Began with the holiday worlds of old._

_I know you're curious to see what's inside_

_It's what happens when two holidays collide._

_Welcome my friends, to our Christmas delight_

_Come witness a ghoulishly glorious sight._

_It's time for our holiday tale to begin;_

_There's no turning back now…please, do settle in._

_Our holiday tale is a tale that's quite charming_

_But during this season, it's sometimes…alarming!_

_So relax and reflect – feel free to take pause_

_While we tell you a tale about dear "Sandy Claws."_

Snow fell softly in the city of New Orleans. As a designer named Crystal Rhock looked out her window, she watched the flakes drift by and her thoughts turned to the impending holiday – it was already December 24th. Crystal loved Christmas, but this was the time of year that always got busy. People wanting her to decorate their houses, or prepare a Christmas party, or something like that.

Crystal was in her new designing studio – the one she had purchased with the money she had received from George Gracey. She smiled at the thought of him, and remembered her little adventure that had happened not too long ago in an old mansion. Thinking that the master of the house wanted her to redecorate, she was shocked to find out that it was haunted. After freeing the ghosts from their imprisonment there, George had rewarded her with a cool million dollars – which Crystal had promptly spent on a new house and studio.

How ironic it was that just as she was thinking about George Gracey, the mail arrived – which included a faded envelope that looked several years old. Crystal immediately recognized the letter and the calligraphy handwriting on it – it was a letter from George. Yes, she had freed all of the ghosts, but George had to stay behind, as well as a fortune teller trapped in a crystal ball named Madame Leota. Curious, she opened the letter, and was surprised and a little weirded out at what it said:

_To our friend Crystal, the saver of ghosts_

_There is a problem our mansion now hosts._

_A skeleton man from Halloween Town_

_Has come here and flipped our home upside down._

_We tried to remove him; he insisted on staying_

_And revamped the manor (Which required no paying)._

_Please come and remove him! We want him out now!_

_He's "Christmassed" our home - changed it, and how!_

_But something's amiss, even larger, we fear_

_There's Halloween mixed in with Christmas here!_

_The worst part is this, I am sad to say:_

_Our ghosts have returned because of this holiday!_

_Please come and save them, we need you here, please!_

_Because only you can solve our problem with ease._

_George Gracey_

Crystal reread this letter, snickering. Was this real? Why did the whole letter rhyme? Deciding to check it out, she locked up her office and headed to the mansion.

When she arrived, she was shocked to see that the mansion HAD changed. It was covered in snow, of course, but it seemed to be decorated for Christmas…and Halloween. There was garland wrapped around the giant pillars at the front, and jack 'o lanterns were lining the porch. Boughs of holly were ornately placed on the railing on the porch, and candles were outlining the whole scene, not currently lit because it was daytime. But what surprised Crystal the most was that there was a coffin that seemed to be on the roof! On closer inspection, it appeared to be a coffin made into a sleigh. There were skeletal reindeer attached to it, and they seemed to be waiting patiently on the roof for someone. They glanced at Crystal as she approached, and she smiled at them. They didn't seem to care whether she was there or not, and continued to stand boredly on the roof. She knocked on the front door, and it slowly opened.

When she entered the foyer, she saw that it too was decorated for the holidays – garland lined the top of the walls, with skeleton heads attached at the lower parts of the garland.

All of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, there you are! About time you got here! I've been rhyming for days; it won't stop, I fear. We've got to stop Jack from destroying this place! And I think we must hurry – against time it's a race." All of a sudden a ghost appeared in front of her that made her smile: George Gracey.

"I thought that was you…what's with the rhyming?" Crystal asked. George sighed, and nodded towards the gallery, which slid open. Crystal and the ghost stepped in, and George began to explain.


	2. Wreck The Halls

The gallery had changed since Crystal's last visit – the regular portraits were gone, replaced with what looked like stained glass windows. They depicted Christmassy scenes with captions below them: A view of the Mansion ('T'was the Nightmare before Christmas'); a tree with presents ('Not a creature was peaceful'); a fireplace with stockings ('The stockings were hung by the chimney with care'); and a boy and a girl in bed with toys behind them ('The children were resting all snug in their beds').

All of a sudden, the lights flickered, then went out, and Crystal heard what sounded like a bunch of glass shattering. Crystal heard George sigh heavily and snap his fingers. In an instant, the lights came back on – the candles had relit themselves, but they were purple flames. The room seemed to be lit with black lights, and Crystal saw that the stained glass images had broken horizontally across the middle, revealing florescent portraits beneath the glass. The room started to stretch, and the paintings revealed themselves. They depicted a ghost dog pulling a coffin sleigh, a bunch of scary toys, a tall thin man in a Santa suit with a skull for a head and a long beard, and a long coiled snake. George began to speak as the room started to stretch.

"T'was the nightmare before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was peaceful, not even a mouse. The stockings, all hung by the chimney with care, when opened that morning would cause such a scare! The children, nestled all snug in their beds, would have nightmares of monsters and skeleton heads…"

There was a crash of thunder, and out of the corner of her eye, Crystal could see something at the top of the ceiling. She looked up and saw the huge skeleton head that was in the picture, grinning down.

"Happy Holidays, everyone!" He said cheerily, and then laughed an unnaturally high laugh. The room was plunged into darkness.

"That the guy?" Crystal asked as her vision changed to see more clearly in the dark. She saw George's head nod. All of a sudden, Crystal heard an eerie little giggle coming from above them. A few seconds later, she heard what sounded like an out of tune version of the 'la la la' section from 'Deck the Halls,' coming from a different corner of the room.

"That voice…it sounds familiar," Crystal said. A few seconds later, the lights came back on, and she was surprised to see a small ghost standing in front of her. It was Little Leota – Madame Leota's daughter, and mischief maker extraordinaire. The small spirit grinned at Crystal.

"I just knew you were coming! I knew you were gonna be the one that was gonna free us again!" She said with a smile. Crystal smiled back.

"Hey! How's it going?" She asked. Little Leota shrugged.

"Oh, okay I guess. This skeleton guy has ruined the mansion, though. Although some of his decorations are very pretty!"

"Little Leota, open the door for us? We've got some work to do, so don't make a fuss!" George said to Little Leota. She obediently knocked on the wooden wall, and the other secret door opened.

"Bye Crystal!" She called, and ran playfully out of the room, disappearing as she got farther down the hall.

Crystal and George exited to the portrait gallery, and she saw that the paintings there had changed. They were all of cheery Christmas scenes, but as Crystal and George passed, they morphed into strange Halloween and Christmas mixes. For example, a cute little snowman picture changed to a "pumpkinman", three pumpkins stacked on top of each other and the final one had been made into a jack-o-lantern.

"Now, hurry along, as they say, 'look alive'…this is one holiday you will want to survive," George said, unable to stop rhyming, and Crystal hid a smirk.

"Jack Skellington came here from Halloween Town...you'll notice his handiwork scattered around. This year he's decided to play Sandy Claws. But when Halloween creates Christmas, you might see a few flaws," George explained. Crystal nodded, and noticed that the busts in the end of the portrait hall had been covered in festive spider webs. As she got closer, she realized that they spelled out messages – "Ho ho ho" and "Noel."

"Yes, down the chimney Jack flew like a bat, clutching his magical Sandy Claws sack. He ripped open the sack, and in moments it seems, created a Christmas you have in bad dreams. More rapid than vultures, the Mansion was changed - all was soon covered, adorned and deranged."

George offered his hand out to have Crystal continue up the stairs to the rest of the house, and they continued their search for the mingling skeleton.


	3. On The Thirteenth Day of Christmas

Crystal and George passed a hallway. As she looked down it, she realized that it was the hallway that seemed to go on forever – the place where Crystal first realized the mansion was haunted.

"Is Prudence back?" Crystal asked George, and he nodded.

"The maid has returned, but is not in the hall; in fact I have not seen the girl at all. However a new ghost has appeared in her place, with a glowing red nose and a grin on his face."

George pointed down the hall and Crystal saw a blinking light roaming the hallway. All of a sudden, the rest of the spirit appeared – it appeared to be some sort of ghost dog, with a long nose and a body that reminded Crystal of an amoeba. His eyes were hollow and had long ears like streamers, and barked cheerfully at George and Crystal. She looked at her feet and realized that there was a pile of bones with a ribbon tied around them, with a tag that said "Zero."

"And what to your wondering eyes disappears, is Jack's little friend Zero…the ghost dog reindeer."

Crystal looked back at the dog and he vanished again, his nose remaining and continuing to glow red. She and George walked onwards, and soon found themselves in the conservatory. Crystal immediately recognized the room – but there were many differences. Instead of funeral flowers, there were festive Christmas flowers, and there was a strange little toy doll that looked like a vampire teddy bear sitting on the coffin, which had returned and was now wrapped in a large bow that looked like it was made with spider webs. All of a sudden, the lid pried open.

"George! I thought I heard you coming," Said a voice in the coffin. Crystal smiled as she remembered the man trapped in here – but then her smile faded as she realized that the ghosts HAD returned, and were now trapped back like they were before she had freed them.

"Yes, it is I, and a friend you might know! Crystal has returned, braving the snow. She's going to save us all once again, so the chances of returning are quite thin." Crystal heard a snicker coming from inside the casket, and George frowned.

"I'm sorry Gracey," he said with a chuckle, "But the rhyming? You sound like a Christmas story gone horribly wrong."

"That's what this IS," Crystal muttered, looking around the conservatory. There seemed to be peculiar red flowers on the floor. Crystal knelt down and looked at them closely. She was just about to touch them, but all of a sudden they started to sing! Bug eyes appeared out of nowhere on the flowers, and mouths with sharp little teeth opened up. The snapped at Crystal, and she jumped back. As soon as she was away from them, they started to sing "La, la la la la la…", and belted out a haunting tune.

"Nothing here was forgotten…it all looks so pleasant. 'A coffin,' Jack says, 'Makes a FINE Christmas present,'" George said sarcastically. Crystal heard a loud chomping noise and realized that there was a wreath hanging in the room. But it was no ordinary wreath – it had glowing yellow eyes and razor sharp fangs!

"A man eating plant makes a wonderful wreath…as long as you don't get caught in its teeth," Her host said, and Crystal raised an eyebrow at the strange foliage.

"This…Jack guy…he brought all of this here? How did he do it?" Crystal asked.

"Jack has some magic, a holiday flair, that allows him to…er…'redecorate with care.' With a simple quick snap of his bony finger, the mansion transformed and the ghosts he did lure."

"Ah."

"Jack's holiday vision was unlike no other, so ring out the bells, there's more cheer to uncover," George said grimly, and they continued on. Crystal realized that George had made a grammatical error, but it was probably caused by all of that rhyme scheme stuff. As they passed the clock that struck thirteen, Crystal realized where they were going: Madame Leota's séance room.

"Leota's magic couldn't stop Jack, though she tried all her spells, not holding back. But the gypsy did fail, and her rhyming did change…to a twisted carol, ghoulish and strange."

They came to her door, and George opened it. She realized that Madame Leota was once again saying incantations, but these ones had a festive feel to them.

"On the thirteenth day of Christmas my ghoul love gave to me,  
Thirteen rings of power, embracing strength that never ends  
Twelve signs of the zodiac that rule the future and transcend.  
Eleven candles floating, their scent of mystery in the air,  
Ten telling tea leaves, that swirl with secrets yet to share.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my ghoul love gave to me,  
Nine magic crystals that sparkle with a force that is pure.  
Eight balls of knowledge that answer with a truth that is sure.  
Seven pearls of wisdom to keep my love bewitched to me,  
Six mystic mirrors, reflecting futures yet to be.

On the fifth day of Christmas my ghoul love gave to me,  
Five lucky charms to understand the right from wrong.  
Four wheels of fortune to spin their rich and golden song.  
Three lifelines, extending help to those in need,  
Two passion potions that love and romance may succeed.

On the first day of Christmas my ghoul love gave to me  
A star! A brilliant star for my fortune card tree!"

After Leota had finished, Crystal and George approached her. When she saw them, she smiled.

"Ah, Crystal! I just knew George would bring you here. I've been looking forward to your visit," The fortune teller said cheerfully.

"Did Jack's magic affect you too?" Crystal asked.

"Only slightly – as you probably heard, my incantations have gone awry. Those are the only ones I can remember…and they're not even incantations!"

"Well, whatever it was, it sounded lovely. So do you know how to get rid of Jack and his magic?"

Leota sighed, and shook her head. "His magic is far more powerful…holiday magic, a single holiday alone, is powerful enough, but two holidays mixed together…now that is much stronger. It's going to take an awful lot to stop Jack."

"Here's a crazy idea," Crystal said, "Why don't you just ask him to leave?"

George and Leota stared at her.

"You…DID ask him…didn't you George?" Leota questioned.

"Well…um…I tried…but he wouldn't obey! He continued to work and he wanted to stay!" Leota rolled her eyes, and turned to Crystal.

"Well, I'm sure you can take care of this dear – your blunt, stubborn, and aggressive nature should easily overpower him."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Crystal said, staring at the ceiling. She'd forgotten how icy Madame Leota could be at times.

"We're gonna…go…then. See you around; to the ballroom and attic, that's where we're bound." George said, and they headed towards the ballroom.


	4. Scarol of the Bells

When Crystal entered the ballroom balcony, she was shocked at the changes that had been made. The birthday party that had been going on last time she was here was now gone – instead a Christmas party was taking place.

"With some treats and some games, you can make a scene merry…why, even a gingerbread house could seem scary! All at once happy haunts did materialize – like a nightmarish painting by Currier & Ives." As if on cue, ghosts appeared on the ballroom floor, waltzing to an off key rendition of Carol of the Bells, which was being played on the organ. There was a huge gingerbread house on the table, and Crystal realized that it was actually in the shape of the mansion! Garland decorated the windows, and there was a large Christmas tree set up near the back of the room. It was more of a Halloween tree though – spider webs, pumpkins, and other assorted Halloween decorations covered the tree.

"Wow. You guys really know how to party," Crystal said as she drank in the scene.

All of the ghosts that she'd seen before seemed to have returned, and continue to party merrily as if they had never left. Perhaps they were under a spell. Or maybe…they were happy to be back?

"More awaits in the attic, my dear mortal friend…I'm sorry to say this isn't the end. A bagful of toys Jack had slung on his back. They were strange and bizarre…and on the attack."

George led Crystal up to the attic, and when they entered, she was shocked to see that amidst the usual clutter, there were all sorts of demented Christmas toys! But what surprised her most was the giant snake in the attic – it was orange with black stripes, and seemed to be eating a giant list with names on it. Apparently this was Jack's list of good girls and boys.

"Wait…" Crystal said, avoiding the huge snake as much as she could, "Where's Emily?"

The obnoxious bride from Crystal's last visit had been up here, but now she was nowhere to be found.

"I'm over here!" Came a cry from the far side of the attic. George and Crystal made their way through the clutter to find Emily sitting in the corner of the attic.

"I'm trying to hide from that atrocious snake! It's already eaten most of the stuff in this room!" She said, and then realized who was standing before her.

" Crystal!" Emily squealed, and jumped up. She leapt forward to give Crystal a hug, but instead stumbled through her and tripped.

"Oops," She said sheepishly, solidified, and then hugged Crystal.

"Hi Emily," Crystal said, "How's it going?"

"How do you THINK its going? I'm up in the afterlife, enjoying eternal bliss, and then poof! I'm back here in this dump of a house, which seems to have been taken over by a complete lunatic! He's released all of these toys and that…that THING!" She stopped to point at the snake, "That thing in here and I'm too afraid to go near it and so I've been sitting in this corner without anyone to talk to, and George wouldn't even come up to save me! Typical male! And what's worse is that I have dry, unmanageable hair again!" The ghost pointed at her white hair, and glared at George.

"This is all your fault, I'm sure of it. Somehow or other, it's connected to you."

"Emily!" George said, taken aback, "What makes you say that? I never did hurt you…not even call you fat!"

"Oh please. I can see everything from up there. I know that you and Leota have a child! And that, although rather abstractly, lead to her locking me into that trunk over there!" Emily pointed at it, but Crystal didn't look. She'd already seen it once before, and once was too many times.

"So it's a good thing that you're stuck down here forever while I'm up having the time of my life! HA!"

"Emily…" George started. Emily's expression lightened, and she suddenly threw her arms around George.

"Oh, you're right George! I could never stay mad at you! You always know what to say!"

George looked helplessly at Crystal for an explanation, but Crystal just shrugged.

"Well, you two go and get that bad skeleton man out of here! I'm counting on you! And make sure you both get me something nice for Christmas!" She said, and resumed her vigilant post in the corner.

George heaved a sigh, and they headed out the window and out into the graveyard.


	5. God Rest Ye Merry Grinning Ghosts

The character "Dustin T. Dust" is based on one created by Aquarian Wolf.

* * *

Crystal expected the graveyard to be different, but she didn't expect Jack himself to be standing at the gate!

As she approached, she saw the tall thin skeleton in his 'Sandy Claws' suit, talking to the ghost dog.

"Hey! Hey you!" Crystal yelled, and walked towards him, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"It's Christmas!" He said, smiling jovially down at her, "Have you been good this year? Ho ho ho!"

"Jack, we need you to put a stop to all of this! In case you haven't noticed, you've pulled the spirits back from the afterlife."

"What's this?" He asked, confused. Jack was obviously unaware of the havoc he was causing.

"All of these ghosts here, they don't belong anymore! Your magic made them return, and that's not good."

"But...they want to celebrate this joyous holiday, don't they?"

"I'm sure they can do it perfectly fine from where they were."

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry…I never meant to do that! I just wanted to spread some holiday cheer! I mean, can you believe your eyes?" He said, holding his arms out and showing off the Christmas he had made, "I like this Christmas thing!"

"Well yes, it's very nice, but-"

"See Zero, I told you they would like my Christmas!" Jack said to his dog, who barked happily.

"Your holiday is very nice, with all of this snow, cold weather and ice. But please make it stop, no offense to you…we don't this place as a Christmassy zoo!" George said, trying to convince Jack.

"Listen to the crazy rhyming ghost," Crystal suggested.

"Oh…I suppose you're right. I thought this house was perfect for my Christmas, but I guess I'll just keep looking. I hear there's this lovely brick estate in a place called Liberty Square…"

"Great. But please, don't change it just yet – I'd like to see the graveyard," Crystal said, and Jack nodded.

"I'll meet you two in the crypt, and there we can remove the decorations," Jack said, and headed off towards it. Meanwhile, Crystal slowly began to walk through the graveyard, taking in the sights. The whole place was covered in snow, and there were brightly light jack-o-lanterns all over the place.

"You want to see the graveyard? Why, may I ask? We really should get back to our task."

"I know…there's a ghost I want to see first." She said.

"I'm sure you can manage all on your own – If you need anything, just give me a moan," George said with a wink, and headed off to the crypt too. Crystal waved goodbye to him, and continued on down the graveyard's path. She passed many familiar ghosts celebrating Christmas before coming upon something she hadn't seen.

On her previous visit, there had been a musical group of marble busts…but in their place were now a bunch of jack-o-lanterns! They were singing a tune, and Crystal stuck around to listen to their song.

"What's this, what's this, what's this?  
We wiiiish you a scary Chriiistmas,  
We wiiiish you a scary Chriiistmas,  
We wiiiish you a scary Chriiistmas,  
And a haunted New Yeeeear!  
Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho!  
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

Jolly dear old Sandy Claws, while the graveyard sleeps,  
Down the chimney, dark and damp, with you're sack you'll creep!  
Happy haunts materialize for a swinging wake,  
Glowing pumpkins harmonize, joyful screams we'll make!  
Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho!  
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!

What's this what's this what's this?  
Garlands made of iron chains, candles glowing bright  
Spiders make cool ornaments for our tree of fright  
Creepy crypts look awful nice tied up in a bow!  
Now our graveyard's pure and white, with the ghostly snow!  
Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho!  
Ho ho ho! Ho ho ho!  
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize!"

This song continued to be sung by all of the ghosts in the graveyard as Crystal walked through it. She even found herself humming along with it – it was quite catchy.

At last Crystal came upon what she'd been looking for – an old hearse carriage, stuck in the mud. Or rather, because of the cold weather, it was now stuck in ice.

"Dustin?" She called. A few seconds later, a ghost materialized in front of her.

" Crystal?" The aptly named ghost Dustin T. Dust said in surprise, "What are you doing here?" He gave her a hug, and she explained what was going on.

"Oh…so THAT'S where those pumpkins came from," Dustin said, glancing over at them as they began to sing their song over again.

"Yep. But don't worry – I'm on my way to get rid of all of this and send you guys back to the afterlife,"

"Oh, don't worry, take your time," Dustin said with a smile, "Rolly here and I were just reminiscing." He patted the invisible horse's neck, and she heard it knicker.

"Cool. So are you partaking in this Christmas celebration?"

"Oh, sort of…I'm kind of celebrating from the sidelines. I'm not that big on parties," Dustin said, looking at his feet.

"Well, you better go and make the most of it while you can…George is really mad at the guy who started all of this, and it probably won't happen again."

"Okay, thanks for the advice," Dustin said with a chuckle. With one last quick hug, they parted ways.

As Crystal entered the decorated mausoleum, she suddenly remembered the characters that she had met last time she was down here. She saw the mirrors that they'd been hiding in, and expected to see them hiding in them. But when she stood in front of the mirror, she was surprised to see a ghostly pumpkin hovering next to her head!

"What th-?" She started, and turned her head. There was nothing there, and when she turned her head back, there was a large skull floating there instead.

"Ha! Fooled you!" Came a voice. Crystal smiled as she recognized who was talking. Ezra and Phineas, two of the mischief making ghosts she had met down here appeared, holding the skull and the pumpkin in the air. The third ghost, Gus, appeared shortly afterwards.

"Hey, you Rockin' Rhock! What's happening?" Ezra asked her. She once again explained the situation, and the hitchhikers looked very put out after she finished.

"You mean there's been a Christmas party going on all this time and no one told us?" Phineas asked in shock.

"I'm hurt! I'm offended! I'm going to give them all a piece of my mind!" Ezra said, adjusting his hat to look more menacing and started to storm out of the crypt.

"Gus knew all along...he just wanted to spare the others," Gus whispered to Crystal, and she smiled.

"You've done them a great service," She whispered back, "But try to stall these two for a little longer? If I'm lucky, all of this will be over soon." Gus nodded at her, and promptly stole the two taller ghosts' hats. He started them on a wild goose chase through the crypt, and Crystal silently slipped away to find George and Jack. She heard their voices, and rounded a corner and found them.

"Sorry if I kept you guys waiting…I had some friends I needed to talk to," Crystal said.

"No problem at all, we've just been conversing; we've settled our differences, with hardly no cursing! Jack can celebrate, bring Christmas cheer…as long as a few new ground rules are clear. He must of course, ask, before settling in; and not fill it with ghosts, very much like it had been. They can come back on their own free will, and leave once they've had their holiday fill."

"Those poetic terms sound good to me," Crystal said, "What do you think Jack?"

"I agree," Jack said, "And once again, I apologize for the trouble I've caused. Now all we need to do is say the spell to get everything back into my 'Sandy Claws' sack." He held up a brown leather bag that was about the size of a garbage bag.

"All your decorations fit in _there_?" Crystal asked, staring at it.

"Of course…it's magic," Jack replied with a wink. He got out a piece of paper that had the spell on it, but just as he and Crystal were about to read it, the ground started to rumble.

"What's going on?" Crystal asked, staring at Jack with a confused look. However, the skeleton had a look of equal confusion.

"I don't know! This isn't part of my Christmas!" All of a sudden, something crashed through the wall near them, causing large stone blocks to go flying and dust to go everywhere. When the dust cleared, Crystal could see what had caused the wall to break – but she had no idea what it was.

Jack, on the other hand, knew precisely what…and who…it was.

"Oogie Boogie!"


	6. T'was The Nightmare Before Christmas

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked angrily to the creature. He looked like he was made of a giant sack of potatoes – his eyes were hollow and black, and his mouth was the same.

"Oh Jack, can't we put aside our differences during this...joyous…holiday season?" He asked in a pleasant voice, but Crystal was sure he was faking it. She could tell that this guy was bad news.

"Who are you?" Crystal asked. He turned and bowed extravagantly before her.

"Oogie Boogie, Boogieman. At your service," He smiled slyly at Crystal, but she didn't return the grin.

"Oogie, you had better leave this instant!" Jack said.

"Why? I'm celebrating Christmas, just like you! And I've got my own special magic to help me do it!" Before anyone could stop him, Oogie Boogie quickly said a spell.

"Christmas is fun, you get lots of toys!  
And so do all of the girls and boys.  
But instead of to them, give them to me!  
And all other presents for my Christmas tree!"

There was a flash of light, and Oogie was now holding a sack just like Jack's. He held it open for Crystal, Jack and George to see, and it appeared bottomless.

"Inside my bag is every Christmas present in the world…as well as a few…surprises. Care to find out what you're getting for Christmas, hmmm? Let's find out!"  
He pointed at the wall next to him, and a black and orange roulette wheel appeared on it. Oogie spun it as hard as he could, and said "Welcome to Oogie's Holiday Tricks and Treats! Round and round she goes! What's your gift?...Oogie knows! Are you gettin' a trick? Or a treat?"

The wheel stopped on a question mark, and he handed a gift to Crystal. She slowly opened it, and when she lifted the lid, a giant banana cream pie popped out and smashed in her face.

"Jack, you must stop this! Quick, say your spell! It may just stop Oogie from raising all…" George almost finished his rhyme, but was interrupted by Crystal yelling at Oogie.

"You idiot! You've ruined my new sweater! This was a gift from my grandmother!" She said through clenched teeth. Crystal angrily grabbed the spell out of Jack's hand and began to read it.

"Christmas is fun, in moderation – but even the holidays need a vacation. Please end our festivities, and we'll see you next year; when you return, we'll give you a cheer!"

A giant gust of wind blew through the crypt, and Crystal realized that Jack's bag was now sucking in air – it was pulling in all of the Christmas decorations and magic!

Crystal quickly ducked as countless ornaments, strings of garland, and other assorted holiday curios whooshed past her and into the bag. The banana cream pie and the stain it left on Crystal's sweater were sucked up too.

"Nooooo!" Oogie cried, "You never let me have any fun!" Jack turned the bag towards him, and somehow he fit through the bag and was sucked up too, along with all of the mess he had made. Crystal watched in amazement as everything else was sucked up – Halloween pumpkins, Christmas toys, and even all of the excess snow – everything Christmas disappeared.

Jack's Santa suit was sucked in, revealing his normal clothes: a pinstripe suit and a large bat bowtie. And a red and green stream of light was sucked out of George's mouth and back into the bag. He coughed, and then tried to speak.

"Hey! I'm not rhyming! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He cheered, and hugged Crystal tightly.

"No problem!" She gasped, and ducked out from under his arms. George regained his composure and faced Jack.

"Well…thank you for this…interesting holiday," George said, "We'll be sure to let you know if we want your services next year."

"Oh, thanks!" Jack said happily, "I've already got some ideas to make it even better!"

"Really?...Great…" George said halfheartedly. They left the crypt, and Jack's sleigh was waiting for him outside. The graveyard was now normal – the only sign of December that remained was the snow on the ground.

Jack hopped in his sleigh, and flew off into the night sky.

"Merry Christmas to all, and too all a good night!" He called as he flew out of sight.

Crystal and George now realized that all of the ghosts were gone too – they had returned to the afterlife, and everything was as it should be. They backtracked through the now normal mansion, and soon ended up in the foyer, where the whole adventure had started.

"Well, I'd better get going," Crystal said with a small smile. George waved goodbye as she left, and saw her to the front porch. But what he didn't see as she walked down the steps and to the path were a ghostly kitten, skull and pumpkin toy still floating through the air…

_May Jack's ghostly presents now follow you home,  
And stay in your heart where e're you may roam.  
For now you know what happens when holidays meet:  
Your might get a trick, or a holiday treat! _

The End


End file.
